Page 6 of Families and Other Enemies

“I’ve decided to stay in Virtue Falls tonight. To see you.”

Kateri’s eyebrows went up in surprise. They were acquaintances, not friends.

Kellen plowed on. “Want to meet for a drink?”

“Sure. Where are you staying?” Kateri accepted the paperwork and began writing out the ticket.

“I don’t know.” Kellen hadn’t thought about it. In fact, until ten minutes ago, she hadn’t known where she was headed at all. “I thought I’d grab a hotel room.”

Kateri glanced up in reproof. “Honey, it’s Virtue Falls. Spring break. The official beginning of the tourist season. Visitors all over. If you don’t know where you’re staying, you’re not staying anywhere. You know, twenty-two over the speed limit is a hefty fine.”

“You don’t know anywhere I can stay? Oh, no.” Kellen rubbed her neck. She’d been driving too far, been tense too long. She needed to stop, rest, eat, sleep, not necessarily in that order. “How hefty?”

“I might be able to get you into the Good Knight Manor Bed and Breakfast. It recently changed hands. The, um, former owner is serving a stint in prison and the new owner is pretty disorganized. Let me check for you.” Kateri pulled out her phone and sent a text. “Eighty-eight dollars.”

“Eighty-eight for the room?” Great price!

“No, the ticket. The room’s going to be about three hundred.”

“Oh. Okay.” Kellen blinked at her.

“You look tired.” Kateri finished writing out the ticket and handed it over. “Pardon me for asking, but what did you want to talk about?”

Kellen realized she didn’t want to talk about anything, most especially her emotional journey. “Nothing, really.”

“Mmm-hmm.”

“I went to visit my aunt. She’s at a memory care facility in Nevada. She thought I was her daughter, and, well, it went downhill from there.”

“Family stuff.” Kateri shuddered. “Let’s see. You drove from Yearning Sands to Nevada?”

“Right.”

“Then you drove up here to see me?”

“Sort of. I was actually driving aimlessly, but I remembered you and I thought you could...we could talk.” In desperation, Kellen told the truth. “I need clarity.”

“You think I have clarity?” Kateri straightened. “Mostly I feel like I’m groping in the dark, so that’s a lovely compliment. Thank you.”

“You know Max, and you know about Rae.”

“Sure. I’ve known Max for years, and I’ve known Rae her whole life. I knew the story about her mother, but I didn’t realize you were her mother until, you know—”

“The big reveal came and the gossip started swirling?” Kellen thumped her forehead on her steering wheel.

“You have a secret love child that you didn’t know about. Does gossip get any juicier?”

Kellen raised up. “From my point of view?”

Kateri patted her shoulder. “As I understand it, you were just flummoxed.”

“Took the feet right out from under me. I haven’t gotten my breath back yet. Like that matters. While I’m trying to get myself together, Rae is growing up and I... What am I supposed to do about it?”

“You can’t do anything about it. Kids grow up whether you’re there or not, whether you’re a good parent or a lousy one.”

A car went roaring past and honked defiantly.

“Shouldn’t you go give him a ticket, too?” Kellen was feeling snappish.

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